Bill Gates is recognized not only for being one of the great innovators in the history of technology, but also for being a billionaire. His philanthropic contribution also highlights him, and for many, this is one of his biggest challenges: the rescue of Bud Light beer.
Jokes aside, Bill Gates invested this year in 1.7 million shares in Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, betting on its revival.
In total, the amount paid from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation amounts to almost 95 million dollars, according to TipRanks portal.
The billionaire’s decision was made as a result of the boycotts against beer, after the trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney appeared opening a can, last April 1.
An unusual moment, without a doubt. Let’s see what happened.
Bill Gates enters as Bud Light lifeguard, after Dylan Mulvaney association slip
Mulvaney shared a video with his 1.8 million followers on Instagram opening a can of Bud Light, as a sign of his association with the brand.
Immediately afterwards, the sales of the beer succumbed, according to the Daily Mail. The data shows that Bud Light volume sales plummeted as much as 26.7% between August 2022 and August 2023.
Bill Gates’ entry into Anheuser-Busch is expected to help lift the Bud Light brand back up. But it doesn’t look easy.
It is not the first time that the billionaire has put money into beer brands. He invested 939.87 million dollars in Heineken this year, and 392 million dollars in FEMSA in 2007, before being sold to Heineken in 2010.
So it’s not all technology and environment among Bill Gates’ investments. Beer also has an important place (all a wise man, after all), and his next challenge it’s about giving Bud Light a new lease of life.